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Russians
The Russians have the Power of the Motherland. Suggestions and spoilers When one surveys the national bonuses, abilities and unique units of Russia, one immediately thinks of one thing: land grab. Russia's cities just do that for you. With 1 level of civic research already accomplished, and the ability to EXPONENTIALLY increase your borders with each round of research, coupled with a near-legendary ability to destroy unprepared opponents by just letting them walk through your territory, your cities can be used as area-denial weapons. Civics research makes cities cheaper, so you have a faster setup than others: when it comes to your 3rd city, others may still be worrying about the placement of their 2nd. Units-wise, Russia has quite a number of units, all adept at winning battles against infantry. You will be one of three factions to obtain access to the Varangian Guard, a super infantry unit that excels well in Dark Age battles, but is costly and no match for well-supported Catholic chivalric orders. Other cheaper options do exist, however: your Rusiny lancer line, formed down Mongol traditions of horsemanship, can be used in ambush against enemy siege machines. Use the totalitarian or red government upgrades to create a patriot that can protect units from attrition for deep raiding and harassment behind enemy lines. Cavalry archers, which are ranged cavalry units specialising in speed and range to take out Catholic skirmishers and heavy infantry, are also a vital addition. Heavy archers consisting of wandering bands from Armenia also stand ready. These warriors are hardened mountain men who can stand up against even charges by light cavalry - but be wary of massed infantry rushes or your opponents' heavy cavalry and siege weapons. Your heavy cavalry line is also unique, in that it trains faster than normal, and only has a ramp cost of 3 metal - this means that you will be needing plenty of metal, but the wealth you save up can be used for hiring Varangian Guard to sell their axes to you. Metal will be of vital importance to you, however, if you choose to use mercenaries and heavy cavalry together in the Dark Age. Lastly, as an Orthodox power Russia has access to enhanced Imperial Era militia buildings. While you don't really need to be using them at the end of the game with better units, the same can be useful in fending off attackers who take any of your cities, such as the Mongols or the Saracens, whose units are resistant to attrition damage. CtW guide ::"I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest." — Winston Churchill Players of the CtW would be well advised to take to heart histories on Russian history before playing. Fortunately for you and for Russia, Russia may have the easiest of all starts - go east. With plenty of room to expand eastwards towards the land of the Chukchi, it will be some time before you hit anybody, and by that time you do you should be well prepared. Eastward expansion is vital; expanding into Europe will be difficult, especially as long as either the Papal States remain in play or Hagia Sofia remains unbuilt. It is possible to attack Poland or Sweden, but doing so may result in a backlash from other factions. Nonetheless, religious wars have a possible use: invade Jerusalem if you dare, in order to trigger a war between the distant Muslim factions such as Andalus and the Saracens against other Christian foes. An alliance with Byzantium is useful, but the survival of the Byzantines must always be kept in doubt: facing invasions by Arabs, Turks, Italians and Hungarians, it's a matter of time before they are overwhelmed; the question remains by who. Because of the lack of proximity from any player, apart from Poland possibly, allying with someone to make a quick grab of territory via overrunning the rebels and barbarians is not advised for Russia. Gather resources such as iron and granite where possible; you will need them in order to maintain your druzhinnik parties until the Imperial Era. Two serious threats appear on the horizon, however: Turkey and Asia. With Asia well under the grip of either China, Japan or Mongolia, and the Turks advancing from the southeast, you may be sorely pressed to protect your position. Fortunately, your national powers ingame allow you to create an "attrition shield" that kills off any units that attempt to enter it without proper equipment. The Arabs and the Mongols have unique units that can pierce this shield, but so long as you can keep them away from supporting forces, you should have no trouble in defeating them all in battle. Faction summary *In Soviet Russia, Land Conquer You — Use the power of Russia's cities and enhanced attrition damage to expand into your opponent's territories. Played well you should easily turn the tables on opponents like Sweden or China as easily as Yakov Smirnoff turns about subjects and objects in sentences. *Heavy Metal — Russia is a metal-heavy civ during the Dark and Castle Ages - ensure you have adequate supplies of metal! *Me And My Axe — Varangian Guardsmen are the most powerful mercenary unit in the Dark Ages. The ability to save wealth on your Druzhinnik means that they are a valuable addition to your armies if you do choose to create Druzhinnik to escort your troops. *Towering Might — As one out of 5 factions with access to the Bastion, Imperial Era games allow for tower rushes. Russia's extensive borders grant it a strong chance to pull off Bastion rushes well. Note that you would not necessarily need as much metal as your druzhinnik heavy cavalry line will have expired. *Gates at the Barbarians — Enhanced militia quarters means that "barbaric" nations who get past your attrition fields will find it harder to hold on to your cities, as you pump out militia and citizens from these structures in cities lost to the enemy. Settlements: '''Kiev; Minsk; Smolensk; Novgorod; Pskov; Rjazan; Bogolyuvo; Rostov; Kitezh; Belgorod; Suzdal; Kostroma; Yaroslavl; Belozersk; Biryuch; Moskva; Berestovo; Vyshgorod; Uglich; Gubkin; Torzhok; Korocha; Tver; Shebekino; Volokolamsk; Oskol; Kashin, Ksnyatin; Gorodets; Galich; Pereslavl-Zalessky; Yuriev-Polsky; Dmitrov; Chernigov; Pereyaslav; Valuyki '''Leaders: '''Rurik, Svyatoslav, Prince Igor, Princess Olga, Jaroslav the Lawgiver, Daniel the Muscovite, Alexander Nevsky, Ivan, Dmitri Donskoy, Vladimir Monomakh '''Best age(s): Castle Age History Different accounts on how the Russians got their demonym, or the word "Rus" is a subject still hotly debated today. Generally in the West, most assume that it was Rurik who lent his name to the country; others insist it was derived from the Viking word ruotsi, which means oarsmen. The first Russians Whichever one was true, what was most certain was that in the 8th and 9th centuries, Scandinavians had expanded their trade and colonies across Europe. A Viking tribe known as the Varangians began to establish trade settlements with the Slavs, along the Neva River and Lake Ladoga. They did not only build trading posts but also fortifications to protect these settlements. So eventually in 862 a Viking warrior by the name of Rurik made himself ruler of the Slavic principaliy in Novgorod, and founded the Rurik dynasty. How Rurik came about to become Prince of Novgorod remains a mystery - historians speculate that he defeated the Slavs in battle, conquering them; oral sources and Russophiles however assert that the Slavic Novgorodians originally defeated the Varangians, but then called them back when the Slavs started to bicker amongst themselves. What is clear however whas that by 880 Oleg, Rurik's successor, turned his attention towards Southern Russia and unified the region under one King, establishing the State of Rus centred around present-day Kiev. The city of Kiev became the center of trade route between Scandinavia and Byzantine Empire. This relationship benefited the Russian State greatly. In 989, Vladimir I decided to strengthen his rule by establishing a state religion. He considered a number of different religions — Vladimir rejected Islam purportedly because he believed his people could not live under a religion that prohibited strong drink — but was impressed with the opulence of the Byzantines: ::"We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such slendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss to describe it." Thus, Orthodox Christianity became the official religion of the new Russian state. Besides its religion, the benefits of the association with the Byzantines also brought along its rich culture, architecture and the Cyrillic alphabet. Fall of the Kievan State In 1054, however, due to internal power struggles and raids by a nomadic tribe known as the Cumans, the Russian State began to fragment into regional principalities again. It is at this time that Moscow began to emerge and grow in importance as Prince Yuri Dolgoruky established the Rostov-Suzdal principality in 1124 in Northern Russia to strengthen his rule over the region. Into the 13th century, Russia faced its greatest threat, when the Mongols began their conquest across Asia and Europe. Under the Mongol yoke In 1237 Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan invaded and laid waste to all but two cities of the Russian principalities. The Russians were forced to become a tributary state to the Mongol Empire for the next 250 years. One of the Princes of these two remaining cities was Alexander Nevsky. He was the prince of Novgorod and managed to save his city from destruction through shrewd negotiations, and would even convince the Mongols to appoint him as the Grand Prince of the "Empire of the Golden Horde" in Russia, and his son as Prince of Muscovy, the other city that escaped destruction. Alexander Nevsky was not only a good politician but a great warrior as well. He received his surname when he defeated an invasion by the Swedes on the Neva River. Then, in 1242 he defeated the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a branch of the order of Teutonic Knights, in the "Battle on the Ice" on Lake Chudskoye, arresting German territorial ambitions into Russia for centuries. Throughout his life he worked ceaselessly for the welfare of the Russian people and was eventually declared a Saint by the Russian Church at the Council of 1547. The period under Mongol rule for Russia was not particularly pleasant for the Russian people. Alexander Pushkin would compare this dark age of Mongol domination with that of the Moors in Iberia, likening the Mongol rulers of Russia as: ::"Arabs without algebra or Aristotle". There were some uprisings but it wasn't until 1480 that the Russians were strong and united enough to begin throwing off Mongol rule. It started with Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow (or Ivan the Great), who liberated the city and tore up the charter that bound it to Mongol rule, culminating with his grandson Ivan IV Grozny (or Ivan the Terrible) in 1556 when he freed the last of the Russian cities from Mongol control. Once again Russia was unified, and under the kynazy of Muscovy, even expanded into Siberia during his Ivan IV's rule. Rise of the Romanovs Ivan the Terrible was unfortunately a most unstable man. Accidentally clubbing his most eligible son to death (who would have become Ivan V), Ivan IV was succeeded by his remaining eldest son, Fyodor. However, Fyodor was not up to ruling in the shadows of the autocratic Ivan, and left most of the governing to his brother-in-law Boris Godunov. In order to secure the throne for himself, Godunov murdered Fyodor's younger brother Dmitri in secret. When Fyodor died, Godunov made himself the Tsar of Russia. However his ascension to the throne was not fully accepted, and the Russian state began to experience the "Time of Troubles", a period of political anarchy and foreign threats which ended with the rise of the Romanov dynasty in the 17th century, uniting Russia under a single government for the next 300 years. References *One Dead Angel, [http://ron.heavengames.com/gameinfo/nations/russia/xrussia.shtml Rise of Nations: Russians — A Guide], Rise of Nations Heaven. *Wallace R, & Krieger L (ed); Rise of Russia; (1967) Time and Life Books, New York Category:Factions Category:Spoiler Category:Orthodoxy